


Welcome Home

by Renegon_Paragade



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, PTSD mentions, just let them be happy for once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 14:25:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12389907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renegon_Paragade/pseuds/Renegon_Paragade
Summary: After months in the field, Danse is finally back on the Prydwen, but Arthur still can't get him alone.





	Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> I just really want something fluffy for this ship, okay?
> 
> The first paragraph is NSFW, but not explicitly so. If it's not your cup of tea, you can skip it. It doesn't impact the plot in any way. The summary of it is that Arthur missed Danse.

All day, _all damn day_ , all Arthur wants to do is grab Danse and drag him to his room, show him exactly how much he missed him. Pin him to the wall, tie him to the bed, make him scream and mark him as his own, so that every time Danse tries to speak and scratches his throat, every time Danse tries to move and feels the burn of the bites, he will know how completely Arthur missed him. How much Arthur loves him.

Of course, everything aligns perfectly to prevent him from doing so; the paladin has to not only show around his sponsee, but also report to all of the heads of the ship and take care of the remaining members of Gladius. Meanwhile, Maxson has to deal with the logistics of the Prydwen’s arrival in the Commonwealth, sending out squads to secure the surrounding area and creating a diplomatic plan for how to deal with the locals. Both of them are important men leading busy lives, and their duties have to come first, forcing them to be satisfied with a quick, professional exchange of words after the briefing as their only contact all day.

That doesn't stop Arthur from staring every chance he gets, drinking in the sight of Danse laughing in the mess hall, or showing the vault dweller where to find supplies, or getting screamed at with the rest of his squad by Ingram for the state of their armor. Arthur laughs quietly at Danse’s face during the last one, the red flush of embarrassment probably reaching all the way to his toes. Maxson quickly covers it with a cough and returns to listening to Senior Scribe Neriah discuss all of the opportunities of study the Commonwealth will provide.

Arthur’s favorite sighting so far is definitely when he catches Danse walking back to his room from the showers, hair still dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel. Danse sees him this time, and probably likes that Arthur is watching if his wink is anything to go by.

Arthur missed this. He missed the warmth he felt at the sound of Danse’s voice carrying down the corridor, the feeling of safety from the clang of his armor as he marched past. He missed the relief that came with every sighting of the man, knowing that he’s safe and within reach.

Arthur missed Danse.

It's well past sundown when finally, _finally_ , Arthur is able to escape from Kells’ endless planning meeting, claiming to need sleep. He recommends that the others follow his lead and they agree, the meeting breaking up with a promise to reconvene in the morning. Quinlan scowls as he leaves, offering a quick quip about being surprised that Maxson is going to bed early for once. Arthur lets the implication go; it would take too long to deal with the insubordination, and probably wouldn't change anything anyways. He has more important things to deal with.

His feet move on their own, rushing down the corridors and up the ladder, battle coat sweeping out behind him. He makes record time back to the officers quarters, not even hesitating on which door to enter. He knows where Danse will be.

Sure enough, when he opens the door to Arthur’s room, the lights are on and a body is in his bed. Danse lays on his stomach, head resting on his arms and hair hanging down over his face. Arthur frowns at its length, another reminder of the months spent apart. Danse seems to have fallen asleep while writing, his report half finished and pen hanging loosely in his grip. He is bare but for the blanket that covers from his hips to his ankles, his feet dangling off the bed.

This is the sight Arthur missed most, Danse safe and relaxed and _home_.

He walks over to the sleeping man and gently takes the report away. Skimming through the paladin’s scratchy handwriting, his eyes widen at the harrowing situations written so far. He feels his stomach clench as he pictures Danse and his squad chased by raiders for miles, or walking into a deathclaw den, or making a stand against a hoard of super mutants. He grows more and more concerned with each sentence until the report ends abruptly, a line of ink trailing from a half-finished word to the edge of the paper. Danse hasn't even written the part where his squad reached the commonwealth yet. Looking down, Arthur’s eyes trace over the new scars covering the man’s back, each one a reminder of a time Danse almost didn't come home. Arthur sighs; he doesn't know how he will get through the full report.

Arthur moves to his desk, setting the report aside to deal with later. Quietly, he strips out of his coat and uniform, folding the uniform next to the report and hanging the coat by the door. He turns out the lights, the soft glow of the safety lights enough to guide him to the bed. His muscle memory takes over as he climbs in and curls himself up to Danse’s warmth, careful to not wake the exhausted man. Despite his effort, Arthur sighs softly as he feels Danse stir.

“Arthur?” Danse mumbles, tired eyes still managing to look up at him with hazy excitement.

“Shh.” Arthur cooes, pulling him closer and adjusting their positions to something more comfortable. “I didn’t mean to wake you, go back to sleep.”

Danse allows himself to be tucked under Arthur’s chin. “Glad you woke me,” he sighs into his chest, breath tickling Arthur’s skin, overgrown beard scratching the itch as he settles. His arm moves to wrap around the younger man’s waist. “Was trying to stay up, I wanted to see you. I’ve missed you.”

Arthur chuckles, vibrations soothing the tired man. He runs his hands over Danse’s back, lets them tangle in his hair. “We’ve waited months, Danse. We can wait one more night. Get your rest, you deserve it.”

Danse lets out a content sigh at the petting. “Alright. Good night Arthur.”

“Good night, Danse.” Arthur smiles as the man snuggles into him, the big bad paladin trusting him so completely as to let him see his softer side. "Welcome home."

“Good to be back." Arthur can feel Danse smile against his skin. "Love you.” Danse’s words are faint, slurred by sleep and muffled from where his head is buried in Arthur’s chest, but Arthur’s breath hitches anyways. It’s not the first time Danse has said it, but he doesn’t think he will ever hear the words without a jolt of pure joy accompanying them,.

“I love you too, Danse,” He replies, laying a soft kiss on the already unconscious man’s forehead.

While Danse is uncharacteristically quick to sleep, Arthur stays up, drinking in the sight of his love. He lets his hands continue to lightly roam over Danse’s skin, frowning as he finds even more scars, red and heated, rising above the older ones. He already read Cade’s reports on the injuries sustained by squad Gladius, both physical and mental. He knows the paladin had too many close calls and made too many tough decisions. Arthur could guess that Danse’s PTSD had only gotten worse on the tour, possibly to the point that Maxson will finally have to enforce Cade’s recommendation to ban him from field duty.

Arthur drags a hand down his face. That’s a fight for another day. For now, he lets himself get lost in the happy haze of having his beloved back by his side. He indulges himself in one more kiss to the top of Danse’s head before finally closing his eyes, drifting off to his deepest sleep in months.


End file.
